In an online photo sharing and printing service, customers may be presented with the option of purchasing images uploaded by the customer and stored by the photo sharing and printing service. This allows the customer to store a large number of images and purchase high-quality versions of only those images that he or she determines are worth the printing and shipping costs. These online services may allow a customer to upload and store a virtually unlimited number of photos while providing the customer with the ability to purchase printed images perhaps years after the images were captured and uploaded to the service's web site.
Often, the online photographic images are stored and displayed to the customer using a level of resolution that is lower than the level of resolution provided in the finished print that is delivered to the customer. Further, in many online photo sharing and printing services, red-eye and other artifact correction may be applied to a much smaller version (perhaps even a thumbnail version) of the images displayed to the customer by way of the service's web site. This allows the service to economize on the memory and image processing resources needed to detect red-eye by performing such detection on minimal representations of the images, and then to perform sophisticated red-eye correction techniques on only those photographs selected for printing and purchase by the customer. However, although this might be advantageous for the online photo sharing and printing service, the approach may have certain drawbacks for the customer.
When the customer makes his or her purchasing decision while interacting with the photo sharing and printing service's web site, the decision is made based on the version of the image presented. However, when the customer receives the printed photograph, the photograph may not be a faithful representation of the image presented when the purchasing decision was made. Accordingly, when the customer receives the printed image, he or she may feel disappointed in the quality of the purchased image.